The minister of Education Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has directed heads of all tertiary institutions across the country to delay the start of the 2014-15 Academic year by two weeks.

The minister announced this in a statement issued Tuesday. She said the directive also affects all private tertiary institutions.

The decision is part of measures to prevent an outbreak of Ebola in Ghana. It was on the advice of the inter-ministerial committee on the Ebola Virus.

The statement said the two week period will allow for adequate measures, including screening facilities to be put at the various tertiary institutions before they reopen.

Already the University of Cape Coast and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology have postponed indefinitely the date for reopening, even if the reason for the postponement includes the strike by the University Teachers Association of Ghana.

The statement said “all vice chancellors, Rectors, Presidents and Principals are kindly requested to comply with this communication.”

Along with one Principal Health Officer each, the heads of institutions are also to attend a meeting of the ‘inter-ministerial team on the Ebola Viral Disease under the auspices of the Chief of Staff on Monday, 18 August 2014 at 8:00am at the Chief of Staff Conference Room, Flagstaff House, the statement added.